Will Tesco's new clothes store revolutionise high street fashion? I'm not convinced

Can it ever be a good idea to buy fashion in the same place you buy virgin olive oil and pots of fresh basil?

You can tell from my foodie wish list I'm a tad snobbish when it comes to shopping.

Do I really want my jewel-coloured cashmere to sit in a metal trolley (it might get snagged!) next to a bag of banana shallots (it might smell!) and then on a conveyor belt (it might sit in meat juices!)?

Supermarket fashion is nothing new, of course. George at Asda was launched way back in 1990, and perhaps more than any other brand it kick-started our mania for cheap clothing (it sold a wool men's suit for £99 which, in 1998, was unheard of).

Other stores followed, um, suit, including Sainsbury's with its Tu label. But it was Tesco - surprise, surprise! - that seemed to do fashion best.

At a launch of its Florence & Fred label in 2006, I was amazed to find so much that I, a Waitrose gal through and through, wanted to buy so many things.

I loved their black and nude shirts with frilly fronts, wool blazers, T-shirts made out of recycled bottle tops, £18 shirt dresses. It was classic and, in the case of the T-shirt at least, ethical. I was both surprised and delighted.

And, lo and behold, Tesco seems to be leading the pack, again. Last week in North Kensington, West London, it opened what I imagine will be the first of many stand-alone boutiques.

It sounded promising, if you were to believe the press release: 'warm and inviting', while 'every aspect of the customer journey has been considered [...] creating an enhanced, exciting F&F destination . . .'

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Blimey. That doesn't sound anything like my local Tesco Express, which is all dreary cardboard boxes and mess.

I was slightly dismayed to find that the new boutique was on a mezzanine level inside a Tesco superstore as big as Wales. But yes, the F&F store inside is indeed very sleek. It has roomy wooden changing rooms, with lots of hooks and big seats.

It also has very helpful young staff who are unafraid to leave the cash desk to help you find something. They're also more than happy to help you negotiate the online kiosk, where you can order any item and have it delivered to your home. You can try on your clothes and have your frocks wrapped for purchase without ever having to go near the meat juices downstairs.

LIZ'S FAVOURITE F&F PIECES:

Embellished skirt, £20

Faux leather biker boots, £29.50

Unfortunately, the problem starts when you see the clothes.

It is a sea of acrylic sweaters, seemingly made out of tinsel.

The fact that coats are a big trend this winter seems to have passed the design team by, but maybe their super-young customers don't wear coats. The few on offer are far too thin and synthetic-feeling, largely adorned with faux fur collars.

Other key trends feel old and tired, a bit like me. Among them is a leather biker (£95) that is just ghastly. It's too boxy and feels as though it has rigor mortis. There is a net prom dress and a ghastly blue velvet draped dress with three quarter sleeves. All the party dresses (stocked up to a size 22) seem to hover around £20. It is as though the Eighties exploded and the detritus landed here.

While I liked a pair of biker boots (see below), wear the shoes and long boots and you will resemble a hooker. The clutch bags are spangled, while the underwear - 100 per cent acrylic, £10 for a bra, £4 for knickers - will undoubtedly catch fire if you start dancing.

LIZ'S FAVOURITE F&F PIECES:

100 per cent cashmere jumper, £40

Sheer sweatshirt, £14

Still, there are a few gems, such as a very soft plaid shirt in 100 per cent cotton, priced at just £14. Mums will love a grey and navy striped cashmere sweater at £48.

But F&F just needs more thought. Who is it trying to appeal to? What is its USP, other than low prices? I am so tired of going into a High Street store and seeing the same awful garments wheeled out.

It insults the customer.

This aside, shouldn't young women forge their own individuality? In my day, we snuffled out bargains in flea markets, made our own clothes, customised them.

The thought that I would have bought my teenage party outfit while in Sainsbury's on Chelmsford High Street with my mum would have been mortifying.

LIZ'S FAVOURITE F&F PIECES:

Parka, £45

Shift dress, £20

Tu for Sainsbury's is almost as bad. Their Gok Wan collection is just dire: short-sleeved, short-bodied tops that will make the wearer feel like they're 100. Meanwhile, George at Asda has netted prom dresses and body-con frocks for £16, the sort of thing Holly Willoughby might wear: over-the-top and fitted.

Why do women put up with such poor design? I think it's because the prices are so cheap, and we have to buy food anyway, which means we believe we are enhancing our lives painlessly. We are not. Fashion should be something we put thought and time into. Equally, how supermarkets keep fashion prices so cheap is the million dollar question.

But still, here are my favourite F&F pieces, to show I understand that some people prefer to spend on food, cars, children, golf, weekends in Paris, getting married, holidays . . .